Diocesan youths and Ugandan orphans meet creatively

Though thousands of miles apart, children from St. Paul the Apostle Church in Hancock and Holy Family Orphanage in Nazigo , Uganda share many ideas and interests.

Their similarities can be seen in the art produced by both groups of children, part of a new exhibit entitled "Crossing Paths-Building Bridges, Young Artists a World Apart" at the Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts Gallery in Binghamton .

Children from both groups were asked to draw what makes them happy. The children from both Hancock and Uganda drew pictures of playing soccer, going to school, and of friends.

"We saw many similarities as well as differences between the kids," said John Brunelli, a photographer who went to Uganda to work with the orphans on the project. "The kids here drew pictures of their families. Some of the African kids drew pictures of food or shelter."

Art therapy

The children at Holy Family Orphanage, which is run by the Little Sisters of St. Francis, are AIDS orphans, Mr. Brunelli said. In addition many of the children have survived malaria and tuberculosis.

According to the Holy Family Orphanage website, half of Uganda 's 1.7 million orphans aged 14 and below have lost one or both of their parents to AIDS.

The orphanage is home to 30 children and there is a waiting list. The children at the orphanage are given shoes, uniforms, beds, water and vocational training.

Prior to this project the Ugandan orphans had little exposure to art.

According to Kathy Meehan, project organizer, the Ugandan children were given coloring books to use before working on the art project. She said that crayons and markers are a luxury for the orphans and many wouldn't have known what to do with them.

Once they were familiar with drawing, doodling and coloring, the Ugandan orphans were given cloth panels to draw and embellish. "They did fantastic work," Mrs. Meehan said.

Self expression

Mr. Brunelli agreed. "These were children who didn't have access to art," he said. "Art was a new medium for them but you can't tell the difference. Art is a universal way of expressing one's self."

Mr. Brunelli and Mrs. Meehan's daughter Amy worked with the children in Uganda . Once back in the states, Mr. Brunelli and volunteers traveled to schools and churches in the Binghamton area to work with the local children.

Mrs. Meehan said she cut approximately 400 cloth squares for the project. The embellished fabric squares now make up six quilted panels that are the focus of the art exhibit.

Charlene Caramore, a parishioner of St. Paul 's and secretary for the Holy Family Orphanage board of directors, was with the children of St. Paul 's when they completed their part of the art project.

"This was a work-intensive session," Mrs. Caramore said, "but the children were definitely having fun."

Kids helping kids

The children of St. Paul 's already knew about the orphanage. The parish had raised money to purchase a truck for the orphanage. The local children, she said, were interested in learning about their peers thousands of miles away.

The children from St. Paul's and from the other churches in Binghamton that participated in the project sent letters and small gifts to the Ugandan children, Mr. Brunelli said.

Mrs. Caramore said she wasn't surprised by the children's generosity and interest. "The people of Hancock are very giving," she said. "That's what is so wonderful about our parish. That's the character of St. Paul 's."

Mr. Brunelli hopes this project can raise awareness about the plight of orphans in Uganda and other African nations. "I'd like to raise interest and awareness," he said. "I'd like this to become a traveling exhibit."  

St. Paul 's in Hancock and nearby Catholic parishes in Binghamton became interested in the plight of Ugandan orphans when Sister Caritas Barajingitwa, a Little Sister of St. Francis, came to St. Mary the Assumption Church in Binghamton to serve as a pastoral outreach minister in 2001.

A native of Burundi , she fled to Uganda when civil war broke out in her homeland. After becoming a Little Sister of St. Francis she was sent to Canada to study. From there she was assigned to St. Mary's.

Charlene Caramore, a parishioner of St. Paul 's in Hancock and a member of the Holy Family Orphanage board of directors said Sister Caritas has a way of drawing people to her.  

"Children look up to her and are in awe of her," Mrs. Caramore said.

(08/07/08)